That endurance will be put to the test this week when the five officers from the Oceanside Police Department compete in the annual cross-country bicycling event Race Across America.

The five — along with one retired officer, one crime evidence technician and a Stockton firefighter — make up Team Oceanside in the 3,000-mile race, which will lead the bicyclists from Oceanside Pier to Annapolis, Md.

The cyclists in the team relay category left Saturday, and Team Oceanside hopes to hit the East Coast finish line on Friday. (Solo cyclists in Race Across America left Oceanside on Wednesday.)

The race draws riders from around the world — cyclists from 20 countries are participating, race executive director Rick Boethling said.

He said most Race Across America riders — there are more than 50 teams and about 40 solo cyclists this year — use the race to raise money for a charity. Team Oceanside hopes to raise about $5,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

It’s a cause that’s important to Officer Steve Peppard, an avid cyclist who last fall recruited his fellow officers to create a team for the race. Peppard said he chose MS as the charity because his mother-in-law has been diagnosed with it, and he lost an uncle to it a few years ago.

The team includes Kelan Poorman, who retired from the department as a sergeant in late 2010. His unpaid part-time job, since signing on to Team Oceanside last fall, has been training for the race.

The 53-year-old Poorman has been training two to four hours a day, logging hundreds of miles a week.

He and Peppard are joined on the team by police officers Nick Nunez, Jose Lopez, Matt Walters and Capt. Fred Armijo, as well as crime evidence technician Jennifer Luecht and firefighter Mike Smith.

Peppard said cycling and the physical fitness it brings helps him make better decisions in stressful situations on the job.

He said having a team of officers take part in the race has on-the-job benefits: Giving back to the community helps people see police in a better light.

Since they hail from North County, Team Oceanside has big bike cleats to fill. The Race Across America record-holder for solo cyclists is Pete Penseyres of Fallbrook, who in 1986 completed the race with an average of 15.4 mph.

That miles-per-hour average includes downtime. The clock starts when the cyclists start the race and runs nonstop until they cross the finish line.

Last year, the Race Across America’s winning eight-rider team was made up of employees with ViaSat Inc., a telecom company headquartered in Carlsbad. That team crossed the finish line with an average of just under 24 mph last year. They did it in five days, five hours and five minutes, setting a record.

To follow this year’s race, including the leader board, online, go to
raamrace.org.